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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26941525">Mystery Man</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrnobella/pseuds/starrnobella'>starrnobella</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Care for a Drink? [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Pretty Little Liars</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>31 days of writing, Cigarettes, Clubbing, Draco's Den's A Slytherin Walks Into A Pub Fic-A-Thon, Drinking, F/M, Meet-Cute, Pre-Relationship, Wizarding Crossover Connection's Cast the Dice 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:07:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,658</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26941525</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrnobella/pseuds/starrnobella</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A chance encounter outside of a club leads Aria Montgomery to meet a man with an air of mystery around him that captivated her thoughts. </p><p> </p><p>  <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/caligirl9392/50448267266/in/dateposted-public/"></a><br/></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tom Riddle &amp; Aria Montgomery</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Care for a Drink? [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1464733</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>31 Days of Writing Challenge - Fall 2020, A Slytherin Walks Into A Pub, Cast the Dice 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Mystery Man</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: This is the ninth of my 31 stories as I work my way through Draco's Den, Excelsior Fanfiction, Hermione's Haven, Marvelously Magical Fanfiction, Melting Pot Fanfiction, NaNo's Misfits, and Wizarding Crossover Connection's 31 Days of Writing Fanfiction event. Each day is a brand new prompt and hopefully, each day will be a different fandom coming from me.</p><p>The challenge: Pre-Relationship. I also used this story for my Cast The Dice challenge for the Threes score with the trope of Meet Cute.</p><p>I hope you enjoy it!</p><p>Love always,<br/>~starr</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A shiver ran down Aria's spine as she leaned up against the brick wall outside of the club. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and took a deep breath. The noisy crowd inside was starting to get to her, so she decided to step out into the chilly night for a bit of fresh air.</p><p>Aria patted her hand against the pocket of her jacket, looking for her pack of cigarettes. It was a nasty habit she had meant to break, but something was comforting about the first drag on a freshly lit cigarette that she enjoyed. She pulled the pack out of her pocket and smacked it against the palm of her hand, forcing a cigarette to pop out. Grasping it in her slender fingers, Aria pulled it the rest of the way out and lifted it to her lips.</p><p>She reached back into her pocket in search of her lighter but came up empty-handed. "Shit," she grumbled, stomping her foot as she took the cigarette back out of her mouth and slipped it back in the pack. "It's in my purse at the bar."</p><p>Rolling her eyes, Aria sighed and pushed herself off the wall. As she walked back into the club, she brushed past someone and got her scarf caught on their jacket. The pull jerked her back, and she turned around slowly. She noticed the snag out of the corner of her eye and reached up to pull herself loose at the same time as the person she was caught on.</p><p>There was a moment where their hands touched briefly. Aria looked up and noticed a pair of dark eyes looking back at her. She smiled nervously as she pulled her scarf off the snag of his jacket. "Sorry about that," she said, brushing her scarf down against her chest.</p><p>"That's quite alright," he replied, flashing a smile in her direction.</p><p>Aria blushed, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well," she began, "have a good evening."</p><p>"You as well," the young man replied, nodding his head in her direction.</p><p>Aria turned to walk away but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced back and noticed the young man staring intently at her. "Can I help you?"</p><p>"I hate to ask, but do you have any cigarettes I can bum?" he asked, batting his eyes at her slowly.</p><p>Aria smiled and nodded her head, reaching into her pocket to extract the pack she had out just a few moments ago. She smacked it against her hand and offered the pack to him.</p><p>"Thanks," he replied, pulling it out. "I'll see you around."</p><p>Aria smiled and nodded, making her way back into the crowded club as she shook her head. At least while she enjoyed the rest of Alison's bachelorette party, her mind could be filled with the mysterious thoughts of the mysterious man with the thick British accent she had met outside.</p><p>She made her way to the back of the club to find her friends, and hopefully, the lighter she had left in her purse. She smiled when she found her friends where she had left them, crammed into a booth at the very back of the club.</p><p>"Aria!" Spencer exclaimed, opening her arms to welcome her friend. "Where have you been?"</p><p>Aria rolled her eyes and leaned down to hug Spencer. "I went out for a smoke, but forgot my lighter in here."</p><p>"Smoking is terrible for you," Spencer said, her words slurring together.</p><p>"So is drinking too much," Aria teased, playfully smacking Spencer's shoulder. "Scoot over, Spence."</p><p>"Nope!" Alison announced, grabbing Aria's hand and pulling her toward the middle of the dance floor. "It's time to dance!"</p><p>"I haven't even taken my jacket off yet," Aria insisted, pulling back slightly.</p><p>"Fine," Alison huffed. "Go put your jacket down at the booth and get yourself a drink. Then you owe me a dance." She extended a hand to Aria. "Deal?"</p><p>Aria laughed and nodded her head, reaching out to take Alison's hand. "Deal."</p><p>Alison giggled as she danced her way into the middle of the dance floor. Aria watched for a few moments as all of her friends found a place to show off their moves and shook her head. She needed to make sure she captured a few photos so that the girls could relive this night over and over again.</p><p>Aria chuckled to herself as she dropped her jacket off in the booth and grabbed her purse. Before making her way over to the bar, she rummaged through her bag to find her wallet and the mysterious light that had disappeared earlier. She smiled when she found it. "It's good to know that I brought one with me at least," she mumbled, shoving the lighter back in her bag and leaving it at the table.</p><p>She wove her way through the crowd and over to the bar. She waited patiently for a few moments to see if space would open up so that she could get closer to the bar. After a minute or so, she exhaled sharply and decided that she was just going to have to push her way through.</p><p>Stepping closer to the bar, Aria reached out and tapped the gentleman standing in front of her on the shoulder. "Excuse me, could you scoot over a bit so I can get up to the bar?"</p><p>He glanced back over his shoulder and caught a glimpse out of her out the corner of his eye. Smiling, he turned to his side and made room for her at the bar. "Fancy seeing you here," he laughed.</p><p>Aria looked at him for a moment, cocking her head to the side as she looked at him and smiled. "So we meet again," she teased, stepping in beside him and resting her elbow on the bar. She extended a hand to him. "I'm Aria Montgomery, what's your name?"</p><p>"Tom Riddle," he said, taking her hand in his and shaking it once before lifting it to his lips to place a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Aria."</p><p>Aria felt a rush of heat against her cheeks, and butterflies fill her stomach. She smiled at him as she took a deep breath. "The pleasure is all mine. Did you enjoy that cigarette?"</p><p>"I didn't get a chance to smoke it," Tom replied, looking her up and down. "The mysterious woman I bummed it off of intrigued me more than the cigarette."</p><p>Aria opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the bartender stepping up to them.</p><p>"Can I get you something to drink?" he asked, resting his hands on the bar.</p><p>"A whiskey, neat," Tom said, his voice commanding the situation. "And put the lady's drink on my tab."</p><p>"You don't have to do that," Aria insisted, placing her hand on Tom's arm.</p><p>He looked down at her hand and then up to her face and smiled. "I'd like to buy you a drink and get to know you better if that's okay?"</p><p>She looked at him for a few moments before giving in. Aria nodded her head and smiled. "That would be lovely," she said before turning her attention to the bartender. "A dirty vodka martini with a twist on ice," she said, flashing a smile.</p><p>The bartender nodded his head and began making their drinks, pulling the bottles required for Aria's drink off the shelves behind the bar. Aria watched intently as he made the drinks, but she could feel the eyes of someone watching her. Every so often, she glanced over out of the corner of her eyes to find Tom staring at her with a smile on his face. It was like he was studying her.</p><p>After placing their drinks on the bar, the bartender moved onto his next customers and left Aria and Tom to enjoy their drinks and the company of one another. They engaged in conversation for the better part of the evening, and after two hours of sitting at the bar, Aria's friends finally realized that she hadn't joined them on the dance floor.</p><p>Spencer was the first one to track her down and pull her away from her new friend. "Come on, Aria. You promised you'd come dance with us," Spencer pleaded, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the bar.</p><p>"I'll be right there, Spence," Aria said, squeezing Spencer's hand. "Just let me say goodbye to Tom, and then I'll come to join you."</p><p>"Okay," Spencer huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, "but I'm going to wait for you right here."</p><p>Aria turned to Tom and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry about her. We're out tonight for our friend, Alison. It's her bachelorette party, and I did promise that I would go dancing with them tonight."</p><p>"Go enjoy your friends," Tom said, taking a sip of his whiskey and nodding his head. "Our meeting tonight was by chance, but tomorrow night, the night is ours." He winked at her and smiled. "Have a good evening, Aria. I'll see you tomorrow for dinner."</p><p>He stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Tom bid farewell to Spencer and made his way to the club's door with a smile on his face.</p><p>Aria watched as he walked away, swooning over the gentle kiss he placed on her cheek.</p><p>"Who was that?" Spencer asked, wrapping an arm around Aria's waist and resting her head on Aria's shoulder.</p><p>"My mystery man," Aria mused, leaning her head down to rest on top of Spencer's. "I guess I'll find out more tomorrow night at dinner. Let's go celebrate, Allie."</p><p>Spencer took Aria's hand and pulled her into the middle of the dance floor. They spent the rest of the night dancing away as Aria's thoughts kept drifting to thoughts of Tom Riddle, her mystery man.</p>
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